If at
first you don't succeed, try, try again. That old chestnut
of a saying, has been knocking about for years. We have all
heard it before. How many, I wonder actually believe it though?
How many, after having tasted a temporary defeat would pick
themselves up and try again?
A vital characteristic of success is persistence. The spirit of
perseverance separates the winners from the losers. Losers give
up. Winners never give up, until the prize is won. They see it
right through to the end. Napoleon Hill said " A quitter never
wins and a winner never quits".
If you have set yourself a goal, that's good, most people do
not. If you have started making steps towards the realization of
that goal, that's even better! However, experience shows that
human beings are good starters but poor finishers. Now that you
have begun, you will discover that with any worthwhile aim or
goal, you can expect to come up against obstacles, blocking you
from your desired destination. It is at this crossroads you will
determine your mediocrity or greatness. It rests entirely upon
YOU to smash these barriers down. For some the obstacles seem
too insurmountable, its much easier to give up. Others find that
by enduring, the problems are solved and the road to success is
clear again.
Every cloud has a silver lining. Temporary failures do not have
to be viewed as negative, but positively, by knowing that trial
and error is leading you closer to finding the correct solution.
Thomas Edison, the inventor of the incandescent electric light
bulb 'failed' 10,000 times before getting it right. With each
failure his attitude was one of victory, realizing that every
time he failed he had succeeded in finding another way it did
not work, until he won at last. Today we all enjoy the benefits
of the light bulb, the fruit of a man who refused to give up.
Persistence is an attitude. It is not merely one act of courage
and you have passed the test. It is usually relentlessly on
going. The pathway to your dreams will most likely have many
challenges along its route, of all shapes and sizes. Your
attitude towards them all should be, that your will to succeed
is far greater than them all. No matter what form an obstacle
may take, you will always find a way to go through, over or
around it. Where there is a will there IS a way.
The race of life is rarely a 100m sprint. Its more often than
not, long distance and full of hurdles, a steeplechase. Athletes
who take part in this event, are built upon endurance and
stamina, they keep on going right until the finish line. I
wonder how many people have wasted dreams because they didn't
have the energy to make it to the finish line or jump that final
hurdle? There are probably millions of untapped ideas which
never saw the light of day, due to lack of persistence.
Napoleon Hill said " People are prone to give up at the first
signs of defeat. There is no substitute for persistence. The
persistent person discovers that 'Old man failure' finally
becomes tired and goes away. Failure cannot cope with
persistence.
It doesn't matter whether the difficulty is one big problem,
that takes many attempts to vanquish or if it involves
conquering a series of smaller set backs. Most likely it will be
a combination of various challenges, yet the antidote is the
same, persistence. Just good old fashioned grit and
determination. Press forward and never give up, if you keep on
trying you will certainly reach the light at the end of the
tunnel.
By Joey Bushnell
About the author:
Joey is a success coach from London,Uk. Visit
www.knowers-ark.com or
www.joeybushnell.com
